Spinning in Circles
by trumpet1
Summary: Angela is a three-quarter blood.  The daughter of a half blood and a god.  Nothing ever goes right for her, even Camp Half-Blood.  Will she ever find her way?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"I don't know, Chiron," said the satyr nervously, fiddling with his fingers. "She seems verrry powerful, but yet her aura is dim."

"Okay, if that's all that goes in to it, Jarek," Chiron said.

The young girl took a few cautious steps back.

"How did you stay away from monsters for so long?" asked Chiron. "You must be thirteen or fourteen?"

"Fifteen," she corrected. Her dark green eyes were wary and careful.

The man was in a wheelchair, a very old quilt covering his legs. "Well, girl, what is your name?"

"Angela," she replied, softly, gently.

"I'm Chiron. Did Jarek tell you all about the demigods?"

Angela nodded, carefully. "I already knew about demigods and gods. My mother told me about it."

"Ah," Chiron tilted his head up. "What was your mother's name? Who is your dad?"

"I don't know my Dad's name. He left after I was born."

"Left?" Chiron asked.

"No, not that...he...he...Mother said he had to leave...but he still loved her!" she got defensive at the end, and that made Chiron smile.

"Yes, I'm sure he did love her," stated Chiron. "I'm sure your father will claim you soon. All demigods are supposed to be claimed by their thirteenth year though...so that's why it is so odd. In any case, how did you stay away from monsters so long?"

"I don't know. There were a lot of them. Mother and I have always been moving around ever since I remember. If she met somebody she didn't like, we moved. I live out of a suitcase. Then, we met Jarek, and she told me to trust him."

Jarek didn't say anything, but his blue eyes widened with realization. He and Chiron exchanged looks.

"Alright, Angela, you go rest in the Hermes cabin. You know where that is?"

Angela nodded and walked quietly down to the cabin. Everyone was nice and friendly, and she earned quite a few welcomes.

Jarek didn't waste time. "Chiron, look...I think her mother was a half-blood."

"Well, if her mother was a half blood..."

"And her father was definitely a god," stated Jarek.

Chiron looked worried. "I don't think the other gods will like this much. A three-quarters god, one quarter mortal probably is very dangerous."

"Do you think her grandparent god will claim her or her father?" asked Jarek.

Chiron squinted up thoughtfully. "Well...probably her father."

"Are you worried?"

"A little," admitted Chiron. "But, uh...ah, everything'll be alright. She'll be claimed within a week. We'll see what happens then."

Angela lied back against her bunk, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey," said one of the Hermes campers, slipping off his bed to sit next to her. "I'm Ted."

Angela nodded at him. "Hey."

"I'm Karen," said his sister. They were clearly twins. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Angela," she greeted. "Are you two just here or children of Hermes?"

"Children of Hermes," replied Ted, with a very cute smile. "You'll get claimed soon."

Angela nodded, hopefully, and smiled at them.

"Don't worry," Karen added. "People get claimed all the time because of what Percy did."

Angela nodded again. She had heard the story from her mother.

Eventually, the three of them made their way to lunch. "You'll get to meet everyone else here," said Ted, a smile on his face. That's one thing she noticed about him; he was always smiling.

Angela sat with the two of them and their several siblings. Also sitting with them was Ted's girlfriend, Hannah, from the Aphrodite cabin, and Karen's boyfriend, Louis, from the Ares cabin.

Angela found Karen to be very funny and happy all the time, just like her brother Ted; Ted however, was on the quieter, shyer side. His girlfriend, Hannah, was very sweet and had a cute sense of humor that made her very enjoyable to be around. Louis, Karen's boyfriend, was loud, friendly, and very obnoxious, but around Karen, he became very nice

"Who is this?" asked one of Louis's brothers, leaning in towards Angela. His eyes were narrowed and cold.

"Angela," Louis replied. "She's very nice. Angela, this is Jerrod, my brother."

Jerrod had a very cold look in his eyes. "Stay out of the way of the Ares cabin, Angela. We don't appreciate outsiders messing with us."

Angela looked stunned. "Um, well...I wasn't exactly planning on intruding, Jerrod."

"I know," he replied, coolly. "I'm giving you the same warning as everyone else. Watch your step around here, pretty girl." He stood up and and walked away, tense with anger.

"I'm sorry about that," Louis said, frowning a little and losing his obnoxious-ness. "He's normally different, just...I've never heard him act like that before."

Angela shrugged. "I don't care."

"He won't hurt you. He's probably...I don't know. I'll talk to him." Louis looked really concerned and kind of confused. "That's really strange behavior for him. He's normally very..."

Karen shrugged, and then she grinned. "Oh, Angela!"

Angela frowned. "What?"

Ted, with an arm around Hannah, used his free arm to point up at a point above Angela's head.

She looked up, almost falling backwards in her chair. Everyone was staring, smiling, and some started clapping. Above her was an image, almost like a holograph. A bright golden arrow spun above her head, emanating warmth and light like the sun. She squinted at it, smiling with delight.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, happily, excitedly. "A golden arrow! It's Apollo's symbol!"

"Your father," said Karen.

Angela's smile faltered a little. She stood up and watched the image above her head in fascination. "Oh. Apollo?"

"Yes," Chiron smiled at the image. "Your father is Apollo, god of the sun."

Something seemed wrong. It was difficult to explain, but suddenly, she was also decked in a long, strapless pale green gown. She stared at herself in pure shock. Everyone else had similar looks on their faces.

Chiron muttered something in Ancient Greek, and then whispered, "You've been claimed by Aphrodite, goddess of love."

Angela stammered in surprise. "That's...that's...that's...not possible."

She took a few steps back and tripped over her chair. She managed not to get dirty, which was a surprise. Everyone was staring at her with disgust, surprise, reverence, and excitement. For once, the camp was completely silent.

"I don't understand," said Angela fearfully. "What's wrong with me?"

Chiron announced loudly, "Everyone welcome Angela Light, daughter of Apollo and granddaughter of Aphrodite!"

Whispers and conversations started all over the place, noises like the buzzes of bees erupting through camp. Angela shook her head, stumbling a few steps backwards. "No," she whispered. "I don't understand."

"I do," Chiron replied, quietly.

Angela turned and rushed away. Her face was flushed, and she could feel her eyes start to burn with tears. She sat down on a tree log next to the water, staring out at the clear blue bay.

A cold voice, clear like the water and sharp like the wind. Six syllables. "What are you doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"What are you doing here?" Six syllables. Words colder than the sea air and the sea water itself.

Angela turned to see her least favorite person ever. "You."

"Yeah," Jerrod said, coldly. "It's me. How is our resident three-quarter blood? Nothing normal about being like you."

Angela had already been near tears, but this teetered her over the edge. "Normal?" she shouted furiously. "I know that I'm not normal! I've never been! I'm tired of everyone telling me to be normal! I hate you, Jerrod. I hate Camp Half-Blood! I hate everything!"

She didn't mean to explode. She was so tired of being like this. Nowhere she went was she a normal person. Even here, where demigods were supposed to be normal, she was not.

She swirled around, her green dress fluttered about her legs. Her eyes filled with tears.

Jerrod didn't say anything behind her, until he gasped slightly. "Lord Hermes."

Angela forced herself calm and turned around to see a jogger. He was taller than her, but not the tallest guy in the world. In fact, he was shorter than Jerrod.

"Hermes?" Angela said, surprised.

One of the snakes hissed at her, a friendly sounding hiss if snake hisses could be friendly.

"Yes. I've a message for you, young lady," Hermes seemed to regard her with a caution nobody else did. "Your father requests a visit with you...he figured he should ask permission first."

"Permission?" Angela squeaked.

"Well, he might not, he'd just like you to know that you are a very beautiful girl and that you need to stay here and start your training. Don't leave Camp Half-Blood, no matter what," growled Hermes. He calmed down a bit. "Sorry, that was was he exact words. He seems a little...worried. About something. You know, those people who can see parts of the future...Tsk, nowhere near normal."

Jerrod snorted. "There's nothing normal about any of this."

"Chiron is looking for the both of you. He has a message for you," Hermes said suddenly. "I must leave. But first, Jerrod, Aphrodite would like you to know not to hide your feelings, whatever that means. Probably has something to do with your future girlfriend. So in any case, show your feelings and don't be such a jerk."

Angela suppressed a laugh.

Hermes nodded to the both of them. "Angela, heed your father's message. You shouldn't leave his protection. The world is dangerous to you." He disappeared down the beach.

Angela and Jerrod said nothing to each other.

"Angela! Angela!" shouted Karen's voice.

Angela turned and jogged over to her this-morning's cabin mate. Following was Hannah, Louis, and Ted.

"Chiron is looking for you," stated Ted.

Louis grinned at Jerrod, play punching his brother. Jerrod grinned and play punched back.

"It sounds urgent," said Hannah. "He kept muttering things to himself. I don't know what it's all about. He wanted you too, Jerrod."

Jerrod started running to camp. Angela followed more slowly, and they finally reached Chiron.

"Good timing," Chiron growled. "Rachel just gave me lines to the next quest. It involves a son of Ares and a daughter of more than one. We figured a daughter of more than one god would be you, Angela. A son of Ares doesn't really matter too much, as there are many of you."

Hermes words burned fresh in her mind; the message from her father. What now?

"Do you accept the quest?"

"Well what are we doing?" asked Jerrod.

Chiron hesitated. "Angela's mother was kidnapped."

Angela popped up from where she had been sitting, fury blazing in her eyes. "Nobody steals my mother and gets away with it!"

Chiron took a couple cautious steps back, as did Jerrod. She didn't realize why until she saw the edges of the carpet burning. She stared at it, and as her fury ebbed away carefully, a realization hit her.

"Wow," Jerrod said. "I didn't know children of Apollo could produce heat to make a fire like that."

"No. Most of them can't."

Angela sighed, softly, sadly. "Where is my mother, Chiron?"

"She's off in...in the Underworld."

"Alright. Let's leave," Angela replied. She hauled herself away. "I'm going to retrieve a sword and some arrows and a bow."

"Feel free," replied Chiron. "I'll pack some food and money for the two of you. You should pick one more person to go with you."

"Karen and Hannah," stated Angela.

"Well, if they agree," said Chiron.

Angela rushed to the armory. She chose a thin gold sword.

"That's Imperial Gold," said one of the Hephaestus boys. "You know, it's odd you choose that. Jason gave us some Imperial gold in trade for Celestial Bronze."

Angela nodded, wrapping a sword sheath around her waist. She chose a long bow with several bronze tipped arrows and pulled the quiver on to her back. Quietly, she made her way back to where she had left Jerrod.

Jerrod was standing there, dressed in a normal high schooler's clothes. He had on a dark red sweater and blue jeans. He had his knife in his belt. Angela stared a little too long. She couldn't help it. He was hot standing there, his blue eyes glaring, his curly blonde hair slightly tousled.

"Umm, Jerrod..." Angela forced herself to focus. "I appreciate you coming to save my mother."

Jerrod growled, "You're forgetting what Hermes said about your father telling you to stay here, Angela. You shouldn't leave."

Angela was shocked to hear worry in his voice.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

It didn't take long. Chiron gave them two backpacks and instructions, and soon, the four of them were heading away in a van driven by Karen, who happened to be the oldest.

Hannah talked the most of everybody, talking about her sisters and brothers and their girl and boy friends, her boyfriend, and possible boyfriends at camp for Angela. "You know," said Hannah. "The one person I think would be perfect for you is actually Jerrod."

Silence.

"Let's not go there," said Jerrod, his eyes flashing.

Angela didn't say a word. She was sure her face was flaming up with embarrassment. "For once in my life, I agree with Jerrod."

Karen cracked up, which didn't help since she was driving.

"Eyes on the road, Karen," said Angela, trying to keep a straight face.

Hannah smiled, and started chatting immediately again. Angela smiled a little, refusing to look at Jerrod. This ride could be very nice and smooth.

Of course, once everything was happy and pleasant, something had to happen.

Karen gave a choked scream. Something huge, ugly, and mean barreled in to the side of the car, throwing it off the road. They toppled in to the ditch. Angela could feel her forehead bleeding, but she focused on getting out of the car. That was the most important part.

Karen and Hannah were already climbing out, Karen unsheathing her knife and Hannah pulling out a sword. Jerrod looked badly injured, the worst out of all of them. He was trying not to, but he was grimacing with pain and blood trickling down his cheek from a long cut. He pulled himself out and started fighting as well.

The Minotaur. He was decked in armor, slicing a large axe at the four demigods, and thankfully, missing so far. They managed to keep it up for a few minutes, but then, everything went wrong. Karen got hit in the stomach and thrown in to the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Hannah screamed something, distracting the creature.

"The van's going to blow!" screamed Hannah, trying to distract the Minotaur. "Get over there and get down!"

Angela nearly had to drag Jerrod over. He was bleeding from many cuts and he wasn't looking good. He was very pale and his hands were clammy and sweaty. Angela knew the van would explode at any second. "Hannah, get down!" she shrieked.

Hannah dived for the ground, just as the van erupted. Metal parts exploded everywhere. The Minotaur was thrown in to a tree. Fire was everywhere. Trees were starting to catch flame.

Jerrod pushed Angela away. "Angela, listen," He gasped. She was genuinely worried about him. He was very injured, very pale, and looking worst than before. "I know how to kill the Minotaur. You need to find a way out of here. Save Karen and Hannah."

"You're injured, Jerrod. I can't leave you," Angela said, softly.

"I don't care!" Jerrod choked heavily, wincing with pain. "Go, Angela. Please. Trust me."

Angela reluctantly pulling Karen up and called Hannah over. The two managed to get Karen a good distance before the Minotaur started running after them.

"That's not good," whimpered Hannah, watching the huge bull come closer.

"Where's Jerrod?" whispered Angela, feeling her eyes starting to tear up when she worried whether he was dead or not. He couldn't be.

"We have to keep going," Hannah said, softly.

"Keep going then," growled Angela, turned around and arming her bow. "I'll hold him off." She let the arrow fly, and it pierced the Minotaur right in the chink in his armor.

The Minotaur can only be killed by his own horn. The arrow slowed him down, but Angela knew she would need to fight. She had never sword fought before, but she unsheathed the bright gold sword. She had to figure out how to kill this horrible, stupid creature.

The Minotaur charged at her. She ducked aside and hit him with the flat of her sword as hard as she could. There wasn't too much strength behind her swing, so he barely stumbled and immediately swept at her with his large hairy arm. By luck, Angela managed to duck and miss this as well. She hit his head hard with her sword and managed to slice of the horn, which bounced off the pavement and disappeared out of her line of vision.

This was it. The Minotaur was angry and furious. He hit her, hard, and she flew backwards in to the pavement.

Angela forced her sword up in to his chest. He stumbled backwards, but it wouldn't stop him. She propped herself up and tried to crawl away, but there was no getting away.

Then, someone came out of nowhere. Jerrod. In his hands, was the Minotaur's fallen horn. He stabbed the bull's forehead furiously, and the creature started crumbling to dust. Angela managed to haul herself to her feet and pulled the Imperial Gold sword back in to its sheath.

"Jerrod," Angela said, catching his arms so he wouldn't fall.

He smiled at her weakly. "You owe me one, Light."

"Sure," she replied, gently. "Come on. We have to go over to Karen and Hannah. Can you walk?"

Jerrod nodded. They weakly limped over to their other friends, who smiled warmly.

"Minotaur all gone?" asked Karen, who was pale but thankfully looking quite a bit better.

"Yes," Angela whispered. Hannah was looking better too, but the burns on her arms did not look too good.

Jerrod was pale and injured, but Angela managed to wrap up everyone's injuries and they took inventory before walking in the direction of the bus stop.

"We're going to have a long quest," whined Hannah. "Not even out of our own city yet."

Angela helped Jerrod walk, and they stood in the bus with her arm still around him. In fact, she didn't realize she had her arms around him until they reached the airport.

Blushing just a little, she pulled her arm back to herself and ordered four tickets to Seattle Washington.

"We can save time," she said to the other three.

Jerrod was coming back to his normal personality. With a scowl, he said, "You're going to have to trust Zeus, Angela. I doubt any god trusts you at all."

Angela shrugged. "We don't have any choice. Anywhere else, we'll be attacked constantly. You want me to save your life every day of this quest, Jerrod?"

"Actually, I saved your life."

"Whatever."

"It's true; don't deny it!"

Angela snorted. "Whatever. You did not."

"Look," Jerrod began heatedly.

Hannah and Karen both laughed. Hannah muttered, "You two argue like a married couple."

They both flushed and looked away.

"Come on," snapped Angela, leading the way. She wasn't sure how they got through security. Most of it was Hannah, talking sweetly to each security guard they passed until they reached the plane.

Jerrod and Angela (unfortunately), ended up sitting next to each other. Angela pulled out a book and started reading. Jerrod leaned back and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"Why didn't you argue about me coming along?" Jerrod asked, startling her.

"When did you wake up?" she asked.

Jerrod smiled a little. "Answering a question with a question."

Angela hesitated, looking out the window thoughtfully, quietly. Finally, she said, "Well...I suppose...I figured...Well..."

"You didn't care."

"Yeah. Look, Jerrod, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. I didn't want to stay in Camp Half-Blood. It's just the way I am, I guess. When I was young, I moved all the time. I guess it was just awkward having a place I could trust. I didn't want to trust Camp Half-Blood, or Chiron, or anybody there. That's why I didn't care if you came. I don't need to trust anybody, so there's no point in picking people I do trust."

Jerrod looked surprised, which said a lot. "Why did you pick Karen and Hannah then?"

"Because, I thought that...I don't know. I didn't want her to become resentful like some of the older people. I mean, I'm like brand new, and I get a quest. Not very fair to everyone."

"Aphrodite's daughter. Of course you care about everyone and their fairness and their opinions."

Angela didn't say anything to argue with that. She just replied simply, "And of course, you being Ares's son, you don't care."

Jerrod hesitated before saying an answer. "I've lived at Camp Half-Blood all year long since I was twelve, Angela. My mother died when I was eleven. I don't want to care about any one else like I did her, so I rejected everyone. That is, everyone until I met Louis. Once he started dating Karen, everything became...became like, I don't know. I guess I just realized..."

His eyes were misty. Angela was shocked. She put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her with those beautiful blue eyes. Even sad and sorrowful, they were more stunning than a sunrise.

"I'm sorry, Jerrod."

"I know. I knew you'd hear my story eventually."

Angela looked away, and then noticed she still had the pale green dress, and it was still in perfect condition. "Ha."

"What is it?"

"I feel like I've been through a blender and I still look perfect."

Jerrod laughed. "Yeah. I'm the one who probably looks like I've been through a blender."

She looked at him and shrugged a little. "Your forehead is bruised."

"Yeah, I know. I was kind of embarrassed when I messed up and got hurt so badly when I'm supposed to be the son of Ares."

Angela rolled her eyes, grinning at him. "We didn't care, Jerrod. We were just worried."

"Really?"

"Really." She sighed, pausing for a moment. "Jerrod, why were you so mean to me when I first got to camp yesterday morning?"

Jerrod looked sad again. He refused to meet her glance. Finally, he whispered, "Angela, you were so beautiful. You were cautious and careful, but you had this wonderful personality. Everybody loved you. You were so gentle...you reminded me of my mother, and I wanted to reject that immediately."

"I...I..." Angela stuttered; she was astounded.

He grew sort of resentful, giving a cold, nervous laugh and hardening up to hide weakness. "Laugh at me all you want. I was only answering your question."

"No, I'm not going to laugh," Angela said. "In fact, I'm honored."

"Honored...that I rejected you?"

"No. That I remind you of your mother. I think it's so sweet how much you love her."

Jerrod sat up, a sad look coming over his face as he quietly allowed himself to look back at her. "We're going to the Underworld, Angela. I'm scared of what...what I'll try to do if I see her."

Angela didn't reply. "Jerrod, you should try to get some sleep," she said eventually. "Everything will be okay."

"What if it's not?"

"Then we'll both be not okay together. My mother is trapped in the Underworld. Yours is dead. We'll figure out what to do. I promise."

He leaned back and closed his eyes. Angela was jealous of how easily he slept on planes. She lied back sleepily, beginning to wonder when the last time she slept nicely was, and then, her sleep shifted in to a dream.

_"I promisssse you, mmmmy lord," hissed a slithery voice. "I vill make it verrrry hard for her and her frrriends."_

_"You'd better," said a cold, frightening voice that Angela was certain she had heard before._

The dream shifted yet again.

_"Why, hello there," greeted a beautiful woman. "I know you very well, Angela. Do you know who I am?"_

_"No," Angela replied slowly. "I can't say that I do. Are you a goddess?"_

_"Yes, very good my granddaughter."_

_"Aphrodite," Angela stated, somewhat surprised. "What brings you to talk to me, Lady Aphrodite?"_

_"Oh, my dear," cooed the goddess. "I came to warn you. You should have heeded Hermes message. There is danger ahead. You should have stayed at camp where your father could protect you. You are far from his protection here." Her expression changed in to a happy smile. "In any case, I have great news! You are in the next beautiful love story!"_

_"Say what?"_

_"You and Jerrod."_

_NO. NO. "No!"_

_"Oh, come on, my dear. I know you think he is very good looking. Not only that, he is very much attracted to you. My daughter, Hannah, could see it. Wouldn't you love to-"_

_"Lady Aphrodite, I don't think-"_

_"Oh, I'm planning on making this very difficult for you, Angela. Oh, and Apollo asks me to let you know, danger ahead. Go on and wake up now."_

The plane shook and rattled like it would fall apart. Angela was wide awake now, and terrified. "What is going on?"

"It's not going good," said Jerrod, looking sick. "The pilot got hurt."

Angela pitched herself out of her chair.

"What are you doing?"

"Apollo drives a golden sun chariot. I can figure out how to drive this," Angela whispered to him.

Jerrod did not look delighted at this, but Angela wasn't asking for permission. She slipped past everyone and ducked in to the pilot's room. The attendants, surprisingly, did not try to stop her.

This did not look good.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

It wasn't just that the pilot and the rest of the crew were hurt and falling on the floor. The plane was plummeting towards the Earth-very fast. And, there were several creatures flying around the plane.

Not 'normal' creatures, definitely not. Gryphons. They were not pretty or majestic in any way. They were mean, and ugly, and awful, ripping at the plane with huge talons.

Angela gripped the controls and forced the plane up. The gryphons(there had to be near six of them), weren't stupid. They dove up immediately.

"Tell the passengers we're making an emergency landing," she snapped at the flight attendant. "And get in your seats, take off anything breakable."

The flight attendant rushed to do as she had said. Angela allowed the plane to dive for the ground. She tried to make the landing soft, but it was too late for that. The nose of the plane hit first. Angela tested each muscle before leaping out of the chair and opening all the doors. Jerrod, Karen, and Hannah were all next to her in an instant, following her off the plane.

"Gryphons," said Angela, pointing up at the creatures.

Angela armed her bow and managed to shoot three or four, but three of them still came down at them like angry cats with long claws.

Jerrod did most of the incredible fighting. Angela had never seen him fight when he was in perfect condition. He could dodge and duck, pop back up and jump like a kangaroo, slicing his sword at the same time and catching one of the gryphon's heads off, and then rolling aside to avoid getting scratched by the next two gryphons.

"He's incredible," Angela whispered, not realizing that she should be fighting.

Karen nudged her. "Quit staring at him. You should be helping, but he seems like he's handling it pretty well himself."

Angela armed her bow and shot the last gryphon's neck, distracting it so Jerrod could plunge his sword through its shoulder.

After picking up Angela's arrows, the four gathered together. Jerrod was unhurt, although he was breathing hard from all the fighting. His eyes shone with thrill and adrenaline. Angela hoped she would never have to fight him.

"You're incredible," Angela said, hardly realizing she spoke at all.

Jerrod laughed, a little shyly. "I suppose." The fierce light in his eyes was starting to die down, and his muscles started to relax.

"We should find a city to find out where we are," Hannah said, but Angela didn't hear her. She was too busy studying Jerrod's blue eyes and the way his smile made them even more fascinating. Hannah elbowed her.

"Huh? What?" Angela said. "Yeah...we should find out where we are. Let's go."

They walked silently for some time, and they finally reached a small town. Ambulances and police cars were rushing back and forth, probably due to the plane crash. Angela didn't realize why people were looking at them funny until she realized that she was still in a pale green dress, looking perfect, and her friends literally looked like they'd been through a blender.

"Excuse me," Hannah stopped a little old lady with a walker. "I just came from the plane wreck down thataway. I am wondering where we are?"

"In a little town north of Boise, Idaho," she squeaked in reply.

"Thank you," Hannah said, growing rather pale.

"What's wrong, Hannah?" asked Karen. "We can just...I don't know. Buy a car or something and head for L.A. It will be alright."

Hannah gulped, looking ill. "My...My...Family...they..."

"Yeah?" encouraged Jerrod.

There were tears in her eyes. She fell backwards.

Karen caught her, worry and concern flashing in her expression. "What the heck? She's fainted!"

Angela put her fingers against her neck to find the girl's pulse, checked a few other things, and then shrugged. "She's fine. Low blood pressure and probably shock."

"Well, there's only one way out in a town like this," Jerrod said, quietly.

"Hitching a ride on a bus, or...well, we could...um, 'borrow' a car?" Angela looked very embarrassed at mentioning this, however it did not seem to faze Karen at all.

"As long as it's blue," Karen replied simply.

Finding a car wasn't difficult. A blue one at that. It felt very awkward for Angela as she climbed in the back seat next to Jerrod. Karen took to driving, and she didn't care at all. In fact, there was a slighter happier note in her attitude now.

"Well, we know that you're related to Hermes," teased Jerrod lightly.

Karen laughed. "Definitely. I'm going to listen to some music, if you two don't mind. Probably country music." She paused, and then added, "I hope you two lovebirds are getting along better, now. No fighting allowed in my car."

Angela smiled. "It's not your car, Karen."

"It is now. Did you understand what I said?"

"Fine!" whined Jerrod. "But I like to argue with her."

Karen grinned. "I bet there are a lot of things you'd like to do with her."

Angela scowled. "Karen!"

"Are you really going to deny it as well, Angela?" asked Karen. "I'll hush up now and allow some...alone time. I'm turning on the radio instead."

Angela and Jerrod didn't say a thing to each other. They both just listened to the radio. At first, it announced the wreck of a plane where miraculously, nobody was hurt, but the plane was in awful condition, and the stolen blue car. Next on was an excerpt from a story, which, unfortunately, happened to be from the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

"I read this last year for school," said Angela.

"We've all read it," Karen replied, staying focused mostly on the road. "Chiron likes us to know references from history."

"I think it's pointless. They both die in the end," stated Jerrod. "What's in a name? A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet."

Karen smiled. "I'm surprised you know the play so well."

"I do pay attention in classroom classes. My siblings always bug me about it," Jerrod blushed a little. "I wonder why they're playing this. Normally, mortals will play something else with a bit of humor."

Angela remembered what Aphrodite had said in her dream. She whispered, mostly to herself, "I know why."

The station changed from the story to music.

"Know what?" asked Karen.

Angela shook her head. "Nothing." With a slight smile, she leaned against the door and looked out the window. She began to wonder why Aphrodite had to interrupt every single quest with a ridiculous love story. She didn't need one, or for that reason, want one.

She glanced back at Jerrod, who was staring out the window thoughtfully. She loved the way his eyebrows scrunched up when he was worried, and the way he tended to glare at nothing when he was deep in thought. She loved the way his blue eyes lit up when he smiled. She loved the way he listened to her story and began to trust her, and shared his own story. Come to think of it, she loved a lot of things about him.

Angela turned and glared out the window. Aphrodite had to make it impossible not to love him. She felt her eyes burn with anger and hatred towards Aphrodite-not because she loved him. It was because she was sure he would never love her.

She glanced quietly back at Jerrod, to find him asleep.

"Hannah is looking better," Angela commented quietly to Karen.

"Oh, is Jerrod asleep?"

"Yes. When Hannah wakes up, she should eat something."

"That's a good idea," Karen replied. "We could go raid a candy store-"

"I was thinking something healthy," Angela replied with a slight smile.

"Do you like Jerrod?" asked Karen.

Angela knew she was flaming red. "Uh...Heh..." She sighed, a little sadly. "Well..."

"You don't need to answer," Karen said, rolling her eyes. "You two are way to obvious about it now. Jerrod obviously thinks you're some kind of angel. You obviously are absolutely in love with him."

Angela didn't reply. "He loves me?"

"Did you just hear a word I said? Obviously!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Jerrod's sleep was interrupted with dreams, which he found he was getting more and more used to.

_"Ohhh," hissed the creature to his master. "I promisse, mmmmy lord. It vill be made verrry difficult for them. The boy's mother issss dead. It shall pose difficulty to him to ssseeee hisss dead mother."_

Naturally, the dream shifted. Hearing the creature's voice, every time he slept, was disorienting.

_"Why, hello there. I was hoping to see you, Jerrod Moon," stated a beautiful woman. At first, she appeared to look like his mother, then changed to look like his second grade teacher, Miss Lane, his fourth grade crush, a pretty girl he saw in a magazine; she seemed to look like every girl he had ever found beautiful. Finally, she looked almost exactly like Angela._

_"Are you...Lady Aphrodite?" asked Jerrod, taking a while to realize it. Even though she was gorgeous, he found he liked Angela's beauty quite a bit more. He was slightly surprised by his own thoughts, mostly because Aphrodite was a hundred times more beautiful than the other girls he had liked.  
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_"Very good, young man," Aphrodite said with a smile. _

_"Lady Aphrodite, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?"_

_She laughed a little at him. "Oh, you're so sweet. All I'd like is for you to listen to what I have to say."_

_"Okay, no problem."_

_Aphrodite smiled at him happily. Her smile reminded him of Angela. Her eyes lit up like a sunrise, green, gold, and blue, and they shone with genuine warmth. "You love my granddaughter. No, don't deny it. I can see it in your eyes. First off, why do you like her?"_

_"I...I'm not sure, Lady," Jerrod began very slowly. "Angela...Angela is very beautiful. It's not only that-I'm not shallow. She's kind and sweet and very stubborn. She's smart and she's athletic and very cute..."_

_"Don't worry, Jerrod. I plan on making this very difficult, very dramatic, and very sweet for you. Ahh, how I love tragic love stories! It will be the best one since the Trojan war!"_

Jerrod sat up, and found himself awake. There was music playing softly on the radio. It was a nice song, one that people probably listen to on dates. Soft music. He sighed softly, mostly to himself, and sat back against the seat.

Karen started laughing.

"What are you laughing about?" Jerrod asked.

Angela was blushing madly, refusing to look at Jerrod. Karen kept trying to talk, but her laughs wouldn't allow her.

"You...you...you...you..." Karen finally was able to talk. "You were talking in your sleep...haha!"

Jerrod began to worry about what he said. "What-exactly-did I say?"

Angela put her head in to her hand, her elbow resting against the car door. "Uh, well...nothing. Really."

Karen laughed. "You said Angela's name. Twice."

Jerrod felt himself start to grow warm. "Did I say anything else?"

"No," replied Karen. "But Hannah is waking up. You hungry?"

Jerrod nodded; they were clearly in a large city. "Where are we?"

"We just reached a place in Oregon called Ontario," replied Karen. "We're going to stop for dinner soon. How does Dominoes pizza sound?"

"Great!" Jerrod said cheerfully. "I love pizza!"

"So does Angela," Karen replied, mischievously.

Angela didn't reply, but sent a small smile in Jerrod's direction. Karen pulled over and parked next to Dominoes. They all climbed out, and Karen and Angela immediately went to help Hannah, who was now awake. She was still pale, but she looked fine.

"I'll just order a pepperoni pizza, okay?" said Karen. "You three go sit down. Want cokes or anything?"

"Root beer," Angela said. "And ginger ale for Hannah."

"But I-" Hannah began.

"It's best for you to drink something like ginger ale for now," insisted Angela.

They sat down quietly. Angela and Jerrod sat down next to each other, Hannah was on Angela's other side. Hannah looked alright, color was beginning to come back to her face.

"Hey, Hannah, why were you so worried about Boise?"

Hannah started to pale again. "Um...Yeah, my family...they lived there...No, never go there again. Dangerous, Boise, dangerous..." Her eyes were very unfocused, her hands were clenched in to fists and her knuckles were white.

"I have cokes!" said Karen cheerfully.

Angela pushed the ginger ale in front of Hannah, and the other girl began to relax a little, taking a sip of her drink.

The pizza was decent, but since they were all starving, it was magnificent. Angela had always enjoyed a slice of pizza with her mother when life became stressful. She sighed, thinking of her mother.

"Yeah, I knew that pizza would make you think of her. It makes me think of her too."

Angela looked up at the unexpected visitor, frowning. He was a young man by the looks of him. He had blazing eyes, an overpowering aura to him, and well, he obviously was no mortal.

"Who are you?" asked Hannah softly.

A smile, and a laugh. Both were very warm and sunny. "How canst thou know me? I tow the sun for all to see!"

"And are the leading cause in sun burns. The teacher of medicine for all that learns." Angela glared at him. "You're Apollo."

Again, the man grinned. "Aww, my daughter recognizes me! Very good with rhyming, you could work on your poetry there."

Angela stood up, knocking her chair backwards. "Father."

"Yes, I am your father," he seemed to relax the immature attitude a little. "My brave, beautiful daughter. We've met before, but I was not allowed to speak with you."

"Why did you have to go off with my mother?" she asked, trying to control her emotion. "A three quarter blood isn't popular in a half blood camp. That was not the most...intelligent...choice."

"Hey, me and children of Aphrodite aren't noted for their intelligence, and last I looked, none of us are Athena, so it doesn't matter."

"You're so dense." She stated it bluntly.

Apollo wasn't insulted. He laughed cheerfully. "Yes. Would you like a ride to L.A.? I'm sure you will like a ride in my sun chariot after saving a crashing airplane."

"You saw that?"

Apollo grinned and winked at her. "I've seen everything. I've even been allowed to hear of your conversation with Aphrodite."

Both Angela and Jerrod flushed.

"You need to talk her out of that. I don't want this stupid drama idea of hers to mess up our already stressful quest. My mother..." Angela fought not to cry. "My mother is trapped in the Underworld."

"I know," Apollo looked distant for a moment. "I love your mother, Angela."

Angela hissed angrily, "Apollo, you're a god. You'll get over her." She hadn't felt so angry in a long time, in fact, she was fairly steaming with anger.

Whooosh! The pizza steamed and hissed, a small flicker of flame over a piece of crust.

"That'd be...terrifying. If you knew how to control that ability of yours," stated Apollo, eying the pizza crust. "Considering your relation to Aphrodite, you're probably good at talking to people. I'm guessing you also can work medicine pretty well, shoot arrows like a pro, and work anything that flies."

"Yeah. My abilities inherited from my godly side are enhanced, my mother mentioned that, but I wasn't paying much attention. She talked about you a lot."

Apollo patted her back gently. "I'm sorry, daughter. You can have a normal life. Fall in love with a half-blood, my dear, which you're already doing. Everything will work out for you, that is, if you finish this quest."

"My life revolves around this quest?"

"Sort of. See, you didn't inherit fortune telling! I'm sure you've got some talent for it somewhere in there. You just need to try it some time. Not now. Anyway, you going to take me up on that offer for the sun chariot?"

Angela looked at Hannah, Karen, and Jerrod. When they nodded, she turned back to her father. "Lead the way."

Apollo walked out, following by the four demigods.

Jerrod put his hand on Angela's shoulder. "Who are you falling in love with?"

"What?"

"He said you're falling in love. With who?"

Angela hesitated. "Jerrod, I-"

"Come on, Angela! You get to drive!" shouted Apollo.

"I...I..."

"Angela!"

She turned and rushed to her father, climbing in to the driver's seat.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

"I knew you'd be able to drive well," Apollo noted proudly. "So, about that fortune telling-"

"No, Apollo. Forget it. I'm so tired of having your abilities."

"Well, clearly you inherited Aphrodite's sweetness when she's tired." His voice was laid with deep sarcasm.

Angela gave him a withering glare and scowled.

"Keep you're eyes on the road, sweetheart."

Angela muttered in reply, "There is no road. The stupid thing is flying."

Apollo laughed delightfully. "You're so sarcastic, my dear."

Karen snorted. "Sarcastic?"

Apollo indicated the direction he wanted Angela to go. "Angie, you need to turn right farther."

Angela glared at him. "Don't call me that. Only mom does."

"Look, I loved her too."

"You say that too casually. She really did love you, Father."

Apollo didn't reply, instead kept his hard eyes on the route ahead. Angela watched his dark brown eyes. He seemed to be fighting not to let emotion through on his face. She looked back at the road...er, the air...imaginary road.

"Apollo...Father, why...why did you leave?"

"You have a better future now than you would if I had stayed, Angela," he said, almost harshly. "Gods can't show favorites. Land and park there."

"Dad, we're going to L.A. We're going to the underworld," she said coolly. "Are you so sure-"

"Angela, park there. I know how to get there."

Angela flew the car down quietly, when suddenly something flashed before her eyes - a dream during the day...a vision. There was darkness, a flash of lightning, and there was literal thunder. She wasn't sure if she felt it or heard it, but the next thing she saw was the ground, coming rapidly closer. She screamed and swerved desperately.

Apollo took the wheel and drove down to a bumpy parking job.

"What is wrong?" he asked, staring at her with the fear and worry of a parent's in his eye.

Angela stared at the ground for a long moment, trying to form words. Jerrod touched her hand comfortingly, and Karen and Hannah climbed out of the car, Karen looking a little sick and Hannah pale.

"I...Dad, I saw...It was all black, and a flash of lightning..." she stammered.

"A vision of danger ahead," Apollo replied softly. "You finally inherited the rest of my abilities."

He took a few steps back. Angela stepped forward, catching sight of something. "Look, it says-"

There was a brilliant flash of light, and Angela gasped. She whipped around as the light died and saw Apollo had disappeared, along with his chariot.

Angela glared at where he had disappeared. Karen finished her sentence, "Highway to the Underground. Maybe it means the Underworld."

"Angela," Jerrod said, softly. "Can I...Can I talk to you?"

Angela nodded slowly. "Sure. You two go look ahead and we'll be right there."

She and Jerrod took a few steps towards where Apollo's chariot had been. Jerrod turned and smiled at her, a true smile that she realized she had needed to see. She found herself immediately and automatically smiling back.

"I...I think you're amazing," Jerrod said.

"I think you're amazing, too," Angela replied, relieved, tired, and happy. "Don't worry about the Underworld, Jerrod. I'll make sure nothing happens to you...or your mother."

Jerrod smiled at her kindly and kissed her forehead gently. "Come on, hun. Let's go."

He took her hand, and she smiled back at him warmly. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, they walked over to Karen and Hannah. Angela felt a smug smile on her face. Aphrodite didn't change anything. This wasn't so difficult.

Karen and Hannah walked inside, and Angela and Jerrod followed closely.

"Cha...Chare...Share...Karen?" Jerrod stammered.

They all squinted at the name tag of the man.

"Dead children? Teenagers," muttered the man. "Now, did you all learn how to read?"

"No," Angela said quickly. "My friend here, Jerrod, he doesn't know much English. He speaks...uh, Spanish."

"Si," Jerrod said. "¿Como estas?"

"Estoy mal, gracias," growled the man. "Me llamo Charon." He looked back at Angela. "Now say it with me: Care-on. Charon."

"Mr. Charon," Angela said politely. "We need to get to the Underworld."

"Dead?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah." Hannah shrugged.

"How?" Charon mused.

Jerrod and Angela exchanged looks.

"We, uh, mass car accident," Karen said, a look in her eyes.

Charon frowned. "Were you driving?"

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" she whined at him.

"You're not dead," Charon growled. "You need to leave."

Jerrod dropped a few golden drachmas on the counter. "Now isn't that sad..."

"I can't be bought," he snapped.

"But even you could use some extra...pocket money..." A few more.

"Demigods. Stupid demigods."


End file.
